Oddworld Library - User contributions [en]

Library:Todo

2017-12-28T19:43:02Z

Manco: /* Current Focus: Interview migration */ Marked article as migrated

== Migration from the old Scriptures site==
===Migrated ===

* http://oddworldlibrary.net/archives/scriptures/website/INsOMNIOUS/
* http://oddworldlibrary.net/archives/scriptures/diaries/

===In progress ===

* http://oddworldlibrary.net/archives/scriptures/interviews/

=== To do ===

* http://oddworldlibrary.net/archives/scriptures/website/dearalf/
* http://oddworldlibrary.net/archives/scriptures/pressreleases/

== Current Focus: Interview migration ==

{| class="wikitable"
|
|-
! Date
! Title
! Interviewee
! Published
! Status
|-
| 17 Sep 1997
| Interview with Oddworld Team
| Lorne Lanning, Sherry McKenna
| Prima
| Done
|-
| 23 Sep 1997
| Oddworld Interview
| Sherry McKenna
| Gaming Age
| Done
|-
| 1 Dec 1997
| On a Desert Island With…Gaming Gurus
| Lorne Lanning
| Animation World Magazine
| Done
|-
| 1 Dec 1997
| The Future of Gaming
| Lorne Lanning
| Animation World Magazine
| Done
|-
| 5 May 1998
| Oddworld Interview
| Lorne Lanning
| Gaming Age
| Done
|-
| 19 Oct 1998
| Gettin’ Odd with the loonies!
| Lorne Lanning
| loonygames
| Done
|-
| 10 Feb 1999
| Abe’s Exedus — The Story
| Unknown
| Nasty’s Dungeon
| Missing - possibly archived [https://magogonthemarch.com/1998-2/abe-the-story/ here]
|-
| 10 Feb 1999
| Abe’s Exedus
| Unknown
| Nasty’s Dungeon
| Missing - possibly archived [https://magogonthemarch.com/1998-2/2969-2/ here]
|-
| 1 Oct 1999
| An Interview With Oddworld Inhabitants
| Lorne Lanning
| Master Gamer
| Done
|-
| 23 Oct 1999
| An interview with Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| Oddworld.com
| Done
|-
| 25 Oct 1999
| 20 Q’s With Munch’s Oddysee Producer
| Lorne Lanning
| GameFan
| Done (Images TBD)
|-
| 15 Feb 2000
| Speaking About An Oddworld…
| Lorne Lanning
| IGN
| Done (Images TBD)
|-
| 15 Feb 2000
| What Is It Like to Design With Oddworld?
| Farzad Varahramyan
| IGN
| Done (images TBD)
|-
| 1 Mar 2000
| INTERVIEW — Lorne Lanning, President/Creative Director of Oddworld Inhabitants
| Lorne Lanning
| GamesFirst!
| Done
|-
| 1 May 2000
| Oddworld Inhabitants: Weird Name, Great Game
| Angie Jones, Scott Easley
| Animation World Magazine
|
|-
| 2 May 2000
| Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee Interview
| Lorne Lanning
| IGN
|
|-
| 7 May 2000
| Oddworld : L’interview de Lorne
| Lorne Lanning
| Overgame.com
|
|-
| 10 May 2000
| You want INSIDE info? How’s this…
| Lorne Lanning
| The Exoddus Club
|
|-
| 31 May 2000
| Oddworld
| Lorne Lanning
| EP Radio
|
|-
| 8 Jun 2000
| Jammin’ with Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| PlayStation Pro
|
|-
| 12 Jun 2000
| Status and power: Oddworld isn’t so odd anymore
| Lorne Lanning
| Gamers’ Republic Online
|
|-
| 13 Jul 2000
| Title unknown
| Lorne Lanning
| Hyper
|
|-
| 6 Sep 2000
| An interview with Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| Happy Puppy
|
|-
| 22 Sep 2000
| Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee—Interview
| Lorne Lanning, Sherry McKenna
| GameSpot TV
|
|-
| 11 Oct 2000
| Interview With Oddworld Inhabitants
| Lorne Lanning
| Master Gamer
|
|-
| 20 Oct 2000
| Lorne Lanning Interview
| Lorne Lanning
| Daily Radar
|
|-
| 25 Oct 2000
| The Parties Involved Comment on Oddworld Exclusivity
| Lorne Lanning, Ed Fries
| GameSpot
|
|-
| 30 Oct 2000
| Interview with Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| Oddworldian, Oddworld-Web
|
|-
| 9 Nov 2000
| Inside Oddworld
| Lorne Lanning, Sherry McKenna, Farzad Varahramyan
| Game Room
|
|-
| 14 Nov 2000
| Oddworld Inhabitants Developer Chat
| Lorne Lanning
| PlanetXbox
|
|-
| 21 Dec 2000
| OddChat with Paul O’Connor
| Paul O’Connor
| OddChat
|
|-
| 10 Jan 2001
| OddChat Development Team
| Dan Kading, Aimee Smith, Mark Ahlin, Rob Brown, Jeff Brown, Jessica Elliott, Kyndra Kading, Dan Kading, Sean Miller
| OddChat
|
|-
| 30 Jan 2001
| The Oddworld Interview
| Lorne Lanning
| GlobalXbox
|
|-
| 20 Feb 2001
| OddChat Programmers
| Alf, Kyndra Kading, Eric Yiskis, Craig Ewert
| OddChat
|
|-
| 13 Mar 2001
| Gamestock 2001 Superchat
| Lorne Lanning
| Zone Theater
|
|-
| 16 Mar 2001
| Oddworld Inhabitant’s Lorne Lanning talks Xbox
| Lorne Lanning
| GameSpot
|
|-
| 23 Mar 2001
| OddChat CG Team
| Scott Easley, Mauricio Hoffman, Matt Aldridge, John Burk, Ryan Ellis, Marke Pedersen, Iain Morton, Aimee Smith, Alf
| OddChat
|
|-
| 4 May 2001
| IGN Xbox Interviews Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| IGN Xbox
|
|-
| 11 May 2001
| Chat: Oddworld Inhabitants
| Lorne Lanning, Chris Ulm, Dan Kading, Marquise Bent
| Xbox.com
|
|-
| 11 May 2001
| Lorne Lanning Interview
| Lorne Lanning
| XboxAddict.com
|
|-
| 6 Jun 2001
| Lorne Lanning Q&A
| Lorne Lanning
| The Electric Playground
|
|-
| 6 Jun 2001
| Munch’s Oddysee
| Lorne Lanning
| The Electric Playground
|
|-
| 7 Jun 2001
| Oddworld : interview bicéphale
| Lorne Lanning, Sherry McKenna
| Overgame.com
|
|-
| 7 Aug 2001
| It’s an odd Oddworld
| Scott Easley
| CGI Magazine
|
|-
| 7 Aug 2001
| Oddworld Inhabitants
| Lorne Lanning
| CGI Magazine
|
|-
| 5 Oct 2001
| IGN vs. The Vykkers
| Humphrey Vykkers, Irwin Vykkers
| IGN Xbox
|
|-
| 12 Oct 2001
| IGN vs. Munch
| Latamire Munch
| IGN Xbox
|
|-
| 26 Oct 2001
| IGN Vs. Abe
| Abraham Lure
| IGN Xbox
|
|-
| 31 Oct 2001
| Lorne Lanning Questions & Answers
| Lorne Lanning
| Oddworldian, Oddworld-Web
|
|-
| 1 Nov 2001
| Oddworld’s Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| GlobalXbox
|
|-
| 14 Nov 2001
| Oddworld Q&A
| Lorne Lanning
| GameSpot
|
|-
| 1 Dec 2001
| Five Questions With Oddworld Co-Creator
| Lorne Lanning
| Gamers.com
|
|-
| 21 Dec 2001
| Oddworld Follow-Up Interview
| Christopher Leonard
| XboxAddict
|
|-
| 1 Jan 2002
| Chatting with Oddworld
| Sherry McKenna, Lorne Lanning
| XBM
|
|-
| 20 Jan 2002
| Untitled
| Matt Aldridge, Ryan Ellis, Mauricio Hoffman, Marke Pedersen, Iain Morton, Rajeev Nattam
| Splice
|
|-
| 1 Mar 2002
| Lorne Lanning & Sherry McKenna Q&A
| Lorne Lanning, Sherry McKenna
| Games Domain
|
|-
| 7 Mar 2002
| Untitled GameSpot Interview
| Lorne Lanning, Rob Brown, Scott Easley, Charles Bloom
| GameSpot Australia
|
|-
| 8 Mar 2002
| Lorne Lanning, Oddworld Inhabitants
| Lorne Lanning
| Brady Games
|
|-
| 2 May 2002
| Untitled
| Lorne Lanning
| GamesRadar
|
|-
| 3 May 2002
| Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee interview
| Rob Brown
| Xbox Corp
|
|-
| 5 May 2002
| Interview with Scott Easley
| Scott Easley
| 3D Festival
|
|-
| 14 Jun 2002
| It’s an Odd World!
| Lorne Lanning
| digital
|
|-
| 21 Jul 2002
| Untitled GamerWeb Interview
| Lorne Lanning, Sherry McKenna
| GamerWeb
|
|-
| 6 Sep 2002
| Take This Job and Love It! — Artist — Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| GamePro
|
|-
| 1 May 2003
| Een dag bij Oddworld Inhabitants
| Rob Brown
| Xboxworld.nl
|
|-
| 13 Aug 2003
| An Interview with Sherry McKenna
| Sherry McKenna
| United Female Gamers Forum
|
|-
| 1 Nov 2003
| A Chat with Lorne Lanning & Sherry McKenna
| Lorne Lanning, Sherry McKenna
| GIGnews
|
|-
| 12 Dec 2003
| Oddworld Inhabitants’ Matt Scott
| Matt Scott
| Animation Artist
|
|-
| 1 Feb 2004
| Munch Money
| Lorne Lanning
| Electronic Gaming Monthy
|
|-
| 20 May 2004
| Special Odd Chat
| Alf’s Assistant, Alf, Abe Babe
| OddChat
|
|-
| 23 Aug 2004
| Wer ist der Fremde?
| David Ross
| EA
|
|-
| 15 Sep 2004
| Mark Snoswell interview
| Mark Snoswell
| OddBlog
|
|-
| 24 Sep 2004
| The weird bunch! Oddworld Stranger exclusive interview!
| Lorne Lanning
| ComputerAndVideoGames.com
|
|-
| 2 Oct 2004
| Lorne Lanning Interview
| Lorne Lanning
| TeamXbox
|
|-
| 6 Oct 2004
| Oddworld: Stranger Q&A
| Lorne Lanning, Erik Yeo
| Total Video Games
|
|-
| 11 Oct 2004
| Cathy Johnson interview
| Cathy Johnson
| OddBlog
|
|-
| 2 Nov 2004
| Oddworld Stranger Q&A
| Scot Bayless, Lorne Lanning
| GameSpot
|
|-
| 3 Dec 2004
| Interview: Oddworld Stranger’s Wrath
| Lorne Lanning
| GameDaily
|
|-
| 15 Dec 2004
| Interview [ Lorne Lanning, schepper van Oddworld ]
| Lorne Lanning
| Xboxworld.nl
|
|-
| 20 Dec 2004
| Enter the Oddworld of Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| ComputerAndVideoGames.com
|
|-
| 19 Jan 2005
| A Not-So-Odd Conversation With The Oddman
| Lorne Lanning
| GameZone
|
|-
| 20 Jan 2005
| Exclusive Lorne Lanning Interview
| Lorne Lanning
| G4
|
|-
| 24 Jan 2005
| Interview with Alf
| Alf
| Oddworld-Web
|
|-
| 1 Feb 2005
| Exclusive Interview with Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| Power Unlimited
|
|-
| 4 Feb 2005
| Interview with Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| UGO
|
|-
| 19 Feb 2005
| Lorne Lanning Interview
| Lorne Lanning
| Xbox.com
|
|-
| 24 Feb 2005
| Interview of Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| Xbox-Mag.net
|
|-
| 26 Feb 2005
| Unknown
| Lorne Lanning
| FileFront
|
|-
| 19 Apr 2005
| Q&A: Oddworld’s exit from games
| Lorne Lanning
| GameSpot
|
|-
| 4 Nov 2005
| FAQ: Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| Edge
|
|-
| 9 Feb 2006
| Unknown
| Lorne Lanning
| Working-Title.de
|
|-
| 30 Oct 2006
| Q&A: Oddworld’s Lorne Lanning and Sherry McKenna
| Lorne Lanning, Sherry McKenna
| GameSpot UK
|
|-
| 8 Nov 2006
| Meeting Lorne & Sherry
| Lorne Lanning, Sherry McKenna
| OddBlog
|
|-
| 13 Nov 2006
| Odd Man Out
| Lorne Lanning
| GamesIndustry.biz
|
|-
| 1 Dec 2006
| A rested development
| Lorne Lanning
| Edge
|
|-
| 30 May 2007
| Meet Michael Bross
| Michael Bross
| Game-OST
|
|-
| 22 Jun 2007
| GDC Lorne Lanning interview
| Lorne Lanning
| GamereactorTV
|
|-
| 30 Jul 2007
| Michael Bross interview
| Michael Bross
| OddBlog
|
|-
| 6 Aug 2007
| Where’s Lorne Lanning Been?
| Lorne Lanning
| EMG Live*
|
|-
| 5 Sep 2007
| Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| CGSociety
|
|-
| 21 Sep 2007
| Expert Insight
| Lorne Lanning
| Get Rich Playing Games
|
|-
| 5 Nov 2007
| Lorne Lanning (Afterword)
| Lorne Lanning
| Inside Game Design
|
|-
| 13 Nov 2007
| End of the Debate?
| Lorne Lanning
| GamesIndustry.biz
|
|-
| 20 Mar 2008
| Episode 22
| Lorne Lanning
| Full Moon Show
|}

Archive:INTERVIEW – Lorne Lanning, President/Creative Director of Oddworld Inhabitants

2017-12-28T19:42:03Z

Manco: Created page

= Description =

== About ==

* Published: 1 March 2000
* Host: GamesFirst
* Interviewer: Shawn Rider

This interview is still available on [http://gamesfirst.com/?id=371 GamesFirst].

= The interview =

Lorne Lanning is also the voice of Abe, our fave corporate saboteur.

Lorne Lanning is the President and Creative Director of Oddworld Inhabitants, undoubtedly one of the most interesting and exciting development houses in the gaming industry. Their first two titles, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee and Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus, have raised the bar for games to come. The award-winning and best-selling titles incorporate an amazing storyline, insanely innovative gameplay, stellar production values, and a whole bagfull of originality. With two new titles in development for the PlayStation 2, Munch's Oddysee (due Fall of 2000) and Hand of Odd (due sometime after that), the folks at Oddworld look ready to create an all-out revolution in electronic entertainment. We got the chance to ask Lorne a few questions that we've been itching to hear the answers to. Here's what he had to say:

GF: It is obvious that the Oddworld games are created with more narrative depth than most other video games. Is there a goal? Are they meant to instruct or at least impart a kind of ethical behavior on gamers?

Lorne Lanning: As creators of consumer entertainment, and as people who believe in the power of this medium, we think it's important that we view our content as art form and allow it to have the same level of social/political criticism that more classical forms of art and storytelling are afforded. As with all great stories through history there should always be more beneath the surface than first meets the eye. Hopefully, there is something about the artist's insight that manifests itself in the work and, as a result, helps to inform or question the beliefs of the viewing participant.

In short, we do want to create experiences that are more than just junk food. As a global people we understand that persistence, empathy, cooperation, and the use of brains for problem solving are fundamental approaches to getting ahead in life and creating the type of world we all want to live in. So, why shouldn't this theme be part of the video game experience. We believe it should be, so we're taking the time and extra effort to inject these elements as a basic part of our universe.

GF: What kind of experiences / ideas have influenced the story of Oddworld?

LL: The Oddworld Quintology is largely influenced by the acts and practices of the corrupt greed and power mongers that have bled the world's people throughout history and continue to do so today. Truth is stranger than fiction, and when you look under the covers at many of today's multi-national corporations and their feeding practices you find enough inspirational (and mind-boggling) material for a lifetime. It's also amazing how we find ourselves wound up within large webs of deceit and actually supporting causes that we think we oppose. The world is an extremely complicated place. Truth has been largely removed from the front-page or the 6 o'clock news, and the forces of good and evil are not nearly as clear as they have been in our world's history.

Oddworld is about finding yourself caught up in an uncaring food chain. Are you just going to be eaten by it or are you going to do something about it? We think that everyone, on some level or another, identifies with what's going on in the world today. We're just trying to inject the dilemma that everyone feels into a package that they can interact with and ultimately overcome. We feel this is what people are looking for, but they can't find it on the shelf.

GF: Are you trying to make video games art?

LL: Certainly, but not at the expense of becoming non-competitive commercially. We're surfing the front line in efforts to raise the standards for entertainment value and storytelling in video games. We started out with the belief that people would respond positively if they could get their hands on something with more depth and production value. So far it's been working and all road signs suggest it's just the beginning.

GF: Is there a place in the world for games that are more than just entertainment?

LL: Absolutely. The game medium is the most powerful entertainment format ever to exist. The proof is simply in the number of hours that gamers spend in these simulated experiences. You could never produce a movie or play, or write a novel that demanded as many hours of an individual's attention as many games have. We are a storytelling people by nature, and so we will eventually embrace this interactive medium with the zeal that we embraced movies and such. Thus far, games have been built by young people who want challenge. Soon however, an entirely different crowd of artists, writers, and filmmakers will be attracted to the game medium. With them will come their hearts and the stories they yearn to tell. Of course, most of them will forget about gameplay and be out of business in real time.

GF: What other games that are out, or are being talked about, are you most interested in?

LL: I'm really looking forward to Lionhead's Black & White.

GF: It looks like the Hand of Odd will begin to build a community of Oddworld fans. It also seems that Oddworld fans must differ from the standard gamer. What kind of audience do you aim a game like Oddworld at? If that audience starts interacting with each other, what kind of community do you see springing up? (Certainly it will be quite a bit different from the Quake and Everquest communities, but how?)

LL: A lot of hard-core gamers are Oddworld fans. They're the first ones to buy 'em, play 'em, and love 'em. The pattern that we've witnessed with our fan base goes something like this: The gamer buys the game first because they hear it's a great game. Then their girlfriend, sister or mother sees them playing it. They then get hooked watching and want to get involved and start playing too. We hear this all the time from people who write us.

Our approach to designing games is one that considers the gameplayer and the non-gamer too. We feel that the core market wants great gameplay while also having something that's more deep, fun, and entertaining, not just challenging. But because we are injecting a lot more creativity and entertainment value into these experiences, the non-gaming community gets into it too. That's the best of both worlds. To give the gamer something they love, while at the same time the same product gives the non-gamer something they can love... well, that's our approach. Internally we say, "We're building games that the hard-core gamer is going to say, "Wow, now this is how a game should be!" While at the same time the non-gamer should say, "Wow, this isn't like a game at all." It's our goal to cross this boundary and open up great games to a larger audience overall.

In the end, all people are going to be more attracted to those experiences which are higher quality, more lifelike, more funny, and more engaging. Today, our online community efforts are still in their infancy. Hand of Odd will start our venture into this arena, but it's more of a multi-player environment than an online community. Eventually, the online persistent universe will be a big part of our future. Our design sensibilities will carry over very well into this new turf. A lot of our focus will be on how to make the online players characters more funny to themselves and also the people they encounter in the world. Needless to say, our experience will be focused on a lot more than just killing opponents.

A new playing field of online community needs to be created to give a more interesting experience for both the hard-core gamer and the casual gamer to co-exist within. Today, I personally have no interest to go into any of the online worlds and get hacked on by another live player who spends 80 hours a week in the world refining his 'attack' status. It's just no fun for me, or millions of other people who don't have the time to match wits against the people who are spending their lives inside these virtual communities. When the design chemistry is found that creates a more compatible and interesting playing field, then we'll see the sales explode and most everyone wanting to get involved.

[[Category:Archives]]
[[Category:Interviews]]

Library:Todo

2017-11-21T18:47:40Z

Manco: /* Updated interview list to show current migration progress */

== Migration from the old Scriptures site==
===Migrated ===

* http://oddworldlibrary.net/archives/scriptures/website/INsOMNIOUS/
* http://oddworldlibrary.net/archives/scriptures/diaries/

===In progress ===

* http://oddworldlibrary.net/archives/scriptures/interviews/

=== To do ===

* http://oddworldlibrary.net/archives/scriptures/website/dearalf/
* http://oddworldlibrary.net/archives/scriptures/pressreleases/

== Current Focus: Interview migration ==

{| class="wikitable"
|
|-
! Date
! Title
! Interviewee
! Published
! Status
|-
| 17 Sep 1997
| Interview with Oddworld Team
| Lorne Lanning, Sherry McKenna
| Prima
| Done
|-
| 23 Sep 1997
| Oddworld Interview
| Sherry McKenna
| Gaming Age
| Done
|-
| 1 Dec 1997
| On a Desert Island With…Gaming Gurus
| Lorne Lanning
| Animation World Magazine
| Done
|-
| 1 Dec 1997
| The Future of Gaming
| Lorne Lanning
| Animation World Magazine
| Done
|-
| 5 May 1998
| Oddworld Interview
| Lorne Lanning
| Gaming Age
| Done
|-
| 19 Oct 1998
| Gettin’ Odd with the loonies!
| Lorne Lanning
| loonygames
| Done
|-
| 10 Feb 1999
| Abe’s Exedus — The Story
| Unknown
| Nasty’s Dungeon
| Missing - possibly archived [https://magogonthemarch.com/1998-2/abe-the-story/ here]
|-
| 10 Feb 1999
| Abe’s Exedus
| Unknown
| Nasty’s Dungeon
| Missing - possibly archived [https://magogonthemarch.com/1998-2/2969-2/ here]
|-
| 1 Oct 1999
| An Interview With Oddworld Inhabitants
| Lorne Lanning
| Master Gamer
| Done
|-
| 23 Oct 1999
| An interview with Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| Oddworld.com
| Done
|-
| 25 Oct 1999
| 20 Q’s With Munch’s Oddysee Producer
| Lorne Lanning
| GameFan
| Done (Images TBD)
|-
| 15 Feb 2000
| Speaking About An Oddworld…
| Lorne Lanning
| IGN
| Done (Images TBD)
|-
| 15 Feb 2000
| What Is It Like to Design With Oddworld?
| Farzad Varahramyan
| IGN
| Done (images TBD)
|-
| 1 Mar 2000
| INTERVIEW — Lorne Lanning, President/Creative Director of Oddworld Inhabitants
| Lorne Lanning
| GamesFirst!
|
|-
| 1 May 2000
| Oddworld Inhabitants: Weird Name, Great Game
| Angie Jones, Scott Easley
| Animation World Magazine
|
|-
| 2 May 2000
| Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee Interview
| Lorne Lanning
| IGN
|
|-
| 7 May 2000
| Oddworld : L’interview de Lorne
| Lorne Lanning
| Overgame.com
|
|-
| 10 May 2000
| You want INSIDE info? How’s this…
| Lorne Lanning
| The Exoddus Club
|
|-
| 31 May 2000
| Oddworld
| Lorne Lanning
| EP Radio
|
|-
| 8 Jun 2000
| Jammin’ with Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| PlayStation Pro
|
|-
| 12 Jun 2000
| Status and power: Oddworld isn’t so odd anymore
| Lorne Lanning
| Gamers’ Republic Online
|
|-
| 13 Jul 2000
| Title unknown
| Lorne Lanning
| Hyper
|
|-
| 6 Sep 2000
| An interview with Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| Happy Puppy
|
|-
| 22 Sep 2000
| Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee—Interview
| Lorne Lanning, Sherry McKenna
| GameSpot TV
|
|-
| 11 Oct 2000
| Interview With Oddworld Inhabitants
| Lorne Lanning
| Master Gamer
|
|-
| 20 Oct 2000
| Lorne Lanning Interview
| Lorne Lanning
| Daily Radar
|
|-
| 25 Oct 2000
| The Parties Involved Comment on Oddworld Exclusivity
| Lorne Lanning, Ed Fries
| GameSpot
|
|-
| 30 Oct 2000
| Interview with Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| Oddworldian, Oddworld-Web
|
|-
| 9 Nov 2000
| Inside Oddworld
| Lorne Lanning, Sherry McKenna, Farzad Varahramyan
| Game Room
|
|-
| 14 Nov 2000
| Oddworld Inhabitants Developer Chat
| Lorne Lanning
| PlanetXbox
|
|-
| 21 Dec 2000
| OddChat with Paul O’Connor
| Paul O’Connor
| OddChat
|
|-
| 10 Jan 2001
| OddChat Development Team
| Dan Kading, Aimee Smith, Mark Ahlin, Rob Brown, Jeff Brown, Jessica Elliott, Kyndra Kading, Dan Kading, Sean Miller
| OddChat
|
|-
| 30 Jan 2001
| The Oddworld Interview
| Lorne Lanning
| GlobalXbox
|
|-
| 20 Feb 2001
| OddChat Programmers
| Alf, Kyndra Kading, Eric Yiskis, Craig Ewert
| OddChat
|
|-
| 13 Mar 2001
| Gamestock 2001 Superchat
| Lorne Lanning
| Zone Theater
|
|-
| 16 Mar 2001
| Oddworld Inhabitant’s Lorne Lanning talks Xbox
| Lorne Lanning
| GameSpot
|
|-
| 23 Mar 2001
| OddChat CG Team
| Scott Easley, Mauricio Hoffman, Matt Aldridge, John Burk, Ryan Ellis, Marke Pedersen, Iain Morton, Aimee Smith, Alf
| OddChat
|
|-
| 4 May 2001
| IGN Xbox Interviews Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| IGN Xbox
|
|-
| 11 May 2001
| Chat: Oddworld Inhabitants
| Lorne Lanning, Chris Ulm, Dan Kading, Marquise Bent
| Xbox.com
|
|-
| 11 May 2001
| Lorne Lanning Interview
| Lorne Lanning
| XboxAddict.com
|
|-
| 6 Jun 2001
| Lorne Lanning Q&A
| Lorne Lanning
| The Electric Playground
|
|-
| 6 Jun 2001
| Munch’s Oddysee
| Lorne Lanning
| The Electric Playground
|
|-
| 7 Jun 2001
| Oddworld : interview bicéphale
| Lorne Lanning, Sherry McKenna
| Overgame.com
|
|-
| 7 Aug 2001
| It’s an odd Oddworld
| Scott Easley
| CGI Magazine
|
|-
| 7 Aug 2001
| Oddworld Inhabitants
| Lorne Lanning
| CGI Magazine
|
|-
| 5 Oct 2001
| IGN vs. The Vykkers
| Humphrey Vykkers, Irwin Vykkers
| IGN Xbox
|
|-
| 12 Oct 2001
| IGN vs. Munch
| Latamire Munch
| IGN Xbox
|
|-
| 26 Oct 2001
| IGN Vs. Abe
| Abraham Lure
| IGN Xbox
|
|-
| 31 Oct 2001
| Lorne Lanning Questions & Answers
| Lorne Lanning
| Oddworldian, Oddworld-Web
|
|-
| 1 Nov 2001
| Oddworld’s Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| GlobalXbox
|
|-
| 14 Nov 2001
| Oddworld Q&A
| Lorne Lanning
| GameSpot
|
|-
| 1 Dec 2001
| Five Questions With Oddworld Co-Creator
| Lorne Lanning
| Gamers.com
|
|-
| 21 Dec 2001
| Oddworld Follow-Up Interview
| Christopher Leonard
| XboxAddict
|
|-
| 1 Jan 2002
| Chatting with Oddworld
| Sherry McKenna, Lorne Lanning
| XBM
|
|-
| 20 Jan 2002
| Untitled
| Matt Aldridge, Ryan Ellis, Mauricio Hoffman, Marke Pedersen, Iain Morton, Rajeev Nattam
| Splice
|
|-
| 1 Mar 2002
| Lorne Lanning & Sherry McKenna Q&A
| Lorne Lanning, Sherry McKenna
| Games Domain
|
|-
| 7 Mar 2002
| Untitled GameSpot Interview
| Lorne Lanning, Rob Brown, Scott Easley, Charles Bloom
| GameSpot Australia
|
|-
| 8 Mar 2002
| Lorne Lanning, Oddworld Inhabitants
| Lorne Lanning
| Brady Games
|
|-
| 2 May 2002
| Untitled
| Lorne Lanning
| GamesRadar
|
|-
| 3 May 2002
| Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee interview
| Rob Brown
| Xbox Corp
|
|-
| 5 May 2002
| Interview with Scott Easley
| Scott Easley
| 3D Festival
|
|-
| 14 Jun 2002
| It’s an Odd World!
| Lorne Lanning
| digital
|
|-
| 21 Jul 2002
| Untitled GamerWeb Interview
| Lorne Lanning, Sherry McKenna
| GamerWeb
|
|-
| 6 Sep 2002
| Take This Job and Love It! — Artist — Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| GamePro
|
|-
| 1 May 2003
| Een dag bij Oddworld Inhabitants
| Rob Brown
| Xboxworld.nl
|
|-
| 13 Aug 2003
| An Interview with Sherry McKenna
| Sherry McKenna
| United Female Gamers Forum
|
|-
| 1 Nov 2003
| A Chat with Lorne Lanning & Sherry McKenna
| Lorne Lanning, Sherry McKenna
| GIGnews
|
|-
| 12 Dec 2003
| Oddworld Inhabitants’ Matt Scott
| Matt Scott
| Animation Artist
|
|-
| 1 Feb 2004
| Munch Money
| Lorne Lanning
| Electronic Gaming Monthy
|
|-
| 20 May 2004
| Special Odd Chat
| Alf’s Assistant, Alf, Abe Babe
| OddChat
|
|-
| 23 Aug 2004
| Wer ist der Fremde?
| David Ross
| EA
|
|-
| 15 Sep 2004
| Mark Snoswell interview
| Mark Snoswell
| OddBlog
|
|-
| 24 Sep 2004
| The weird bunch! Oddworld Stranger exclusive interview!
| Lorne Lanning
| ComputerAndVideoGames.com
|
|-
| 2 Oct 2004
| Lorne Lanning Interview
| Lorne Lanning
| TeamXbox
|
|-
| 6 Oct 2004
| Oddworld: Stranger Q&A
| Lorne Lanning, Erik Yeo
| Total Video Games
|
|-
| 11 Oct 2004
| Cathy Johnson interview
| Cathy Johnson
| OddBlog
|
|-
| 2 Nov 2004
| Oddworld Stranger Q&A
| Scot Bayless, Lorne Lanning
| GameSpot
|
|-
| 3 Dec 2004
| Interview: Oddworld Stranger’s Wrath
| Lorne Lanning
| GameDaily
|
|-
| 15 Dec 2004
| Interview [ Lorne Lanning, schepper van Oddworld ]
| Lorne Lanning
| Xboxworld.nl
|
|-
| 20 Dec 2004
| Enter the Oddworld of Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| ComputerAndVideoGames.com
|
|-
| 19 Jan 2005
| A Not-So-Odd Conversation With The Oddman
| Lorne Lanning
| GameZone
|
|-
| 20 Jan 2005
| Exclusive Lorne Lanning Interview
| Lorne Lanning
| G4
|
|-
| 24 Jan 2005
| Interview with Alf
| Alf
| Oddworld-Web
|
|-
| 1 Feb 2005
| Exclusive Interview with Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| Power Unlimited
|
|-
| 4 Feb 2005
| Interview with Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| UGO
|
|-
| 19 Feb 2005
| Lorne Lanning Interview
| Lorne Lanning
| Xbox.com
|
|-
| 24 Feb 2005
| Interview of Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| Xbox-Mag.net
|
|-
| 26 Feb 2005
| Unknown
| Lorne Lanning
| FileFront
|
|-
| 19 Apr 2005
| Q&A: Oddworld’s exit from games
| Lorne Lanning
| GameSpot
|
|-
| 4 Nov 2005
| FAQ: Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| Edge
|
|-
| 9 Feb 2006
| Unknown
| Lorne Lanning
| Working-Title.de
|
|-
| 30 Oct 2006
| Q&A: Oddworld’s Lorne Lanning and Sherry McKenna
| Lorne Lanning, Sherry McKenna
| GameSpot UK
|
|-
| 8 Nov 2006
| Meeting Lorne & Sherry
| Lorne Lanning, Sherry McKenna
| OddBlog
|
|-
| 13 Nov 2006
| Odd Man Out
| Lorne Lanning
| GamesIndustry.biz
|
|-
| 1 Dec 2006
| A rested development
| Lorne Lanning
| Edge
|
|-
| 30 May 2007
| Meet Michael Bross
| Michael Bross
| Game-OST
|
|-
| 22 Jun 2007
| GDC Lorne Lanning interview
| Lorne Lanning
| GamereactorTV
|
|-
| 30 Jul 2007
| Michael Bross interview
| Michael Bross
| OddBlog
|
|-
| 6 Aug 2007
| Where’s Lorne Lanning Been?
| Lorne Lanning
| EMG Live*
|
|-
| 5 Sep 2007
| Lorne Lanning
| Lorne Lanning
| CGSociety
|
|-
| 21 Sep 2007
| Expert Insight
| Lorne Lanning
| Get Rich Playing Games
|
|-
| 5 Nov 2007
| Lorne Lanning (Afterword)
| Lorne Lanning
| Inside Game Design
|
|-
| 13 Nov 2007
| End of the Debate?
| Lorne Lanning
| GamesIndustry.biz
|
|-
| 20 Mar 2008
| Episode 22
| Lorne Lanning
| Full Moon Show
|}

Archive:What Is It Like to Design With Oddworld?

2017-11-20T23:21:24Z

Manco: Created page

= Description =

== About ==

* Published: 15 February 2000
* Host: IGN
* Interviewer: Douglass C. Perry

This interview is still available on [http://ps2.ign.com/articles/075/075237p1.html IGN].

= The interview =

Yet another interesting look at the Oddworld team, this time from Designer Farzad Varahram.

Oddworld Inhabitants is a unique bunch of folks. Hidden away in the quiet, rolling hills of San Luis Obispo, CA, Lorne Lanning and his staff "crunch" through designs and ideas endlessly until they reach the idea that works the best, whether it's backgrounds, character design, or whatever. In another self interview from the Oddworld PR team, we are delivered an interview with Farzad Varahramyan, senior production designer, who describes what it's like to be on the team.

The Oddworld production design department is a four-man team. It's responsible for visualizing the Oddworld Universe in every last detail. The team creates every creature, building, and vehicle in Munch's Oddysee. Led by Production Designer Farzad Varahramyan, the team consists of junior production designers Raymond Swanland, Silvio Aebischer, and Gautam Babbar.

'''IGNPS2:''' What does it mean to be a production designer for Oddworld Inhabitants?

'''Farzad Varahramyan:''' As a PD I'm responsible for the overall visual look of Oddworld. Being a Production Designer also means that you have to be a bit of a jack-of-all-trades. For example, on Munch I have to design, illustrate, draft, paint, and even sculpt. At Oddworld a PD is essentially a problem solver. We try to predict and solve all the design challenges before they get to the more time consuming and expensive CG process.

'''IGNPS2:''' How is being a Production Designer for Oddworld different from other game companies?

'''Design is very important'''

'''Farzad:''' Being a PD at Oddworld means that you want to produce the best design work, and you have to be willing to go to great lengths and detail to ensure the best quality. We strive to create designs that show depth of story, history, irony, and especially designs that will stand the test of time. This is easier said than done. At Oddworld it's all about iterations and that is the only way we can ensure we come up with the best design. We joke about it, but if you've just finished a pile of design iterations, and if after Lorne inspects them he says, "it's a good start," the translation of that is: you are not even close, so pucker up buttercup; you haven't even scratched the surface. This is called the grind, and at Oddworld you have to be able to work through the grind in order to get to the best design.

'''IGNPS2:''' Do you like to play games?

'''Farzad:''' I honestly have to say I'm not a gamer. When I can, I prefer watching a great movie.

'''IGNPS2:''' How do you come up with the designs?

'''Farzad:''' The inspiration for the designs comes from a variety of places. We have an extensive book and video library, covering almost any topic from nature to religion. Our director and assistant director, Lorne Lanning and Chris Ulm, are tremendously imaginative and are a major source of ideas. We also have the opportunity to use our own personal experiences as inspiration, which I personally appreciate. How I approach a design has also changed since I started working with Lorne. I have learned to observe the natural world around me more carefully, and also my thinking process about creating a design has become more focused.

'''IGNPS2:''' What is the biggest challenge for a Production Designer? What is the biggest reward?

'''Farzad:''' The biggest challenge is the fact that we design the same item for two mediums. The design has to work great in the game as a game element, but it also has to work and look great in our movies. Both mediums have their own restrictions and problems, but because of our seamless transitions between the game and the movies, the designs have to look great and work in both applications. The best example is Abe. He's endearing and has the subtleties to look great in our movies, but he also has the distinguishable proportions and broad physical movements to convey his personality and be recognizable in the game, even when very tiny on screen. The biggest reward is that I'm able to contribute to the content of our stories with my images, as much as Lorne and Chris contribute with the written word.

'''IGNPS2:''' How many Production Designers work for Oddworld?

'''Farzad:''' We have me plus three very talented designers fulfilling the design requirements for our Oddworld universe. All four of us are from four very different backgrounds, different countries, different artistic training, and different ages. I think it is this diversity that brings certain richness to the design of the OW universe.

'''IGNPS2:''' What advice would you give to kids wanting to get into this field?

'''Farzad:''' If you want to be a designer, start drawing and don't stop. Open your eyes and observe the world that surrounds you, and start taking basic art classes so you can have a solid foundation of art basics. Most importantly, make sure you enjoy it-it has to be your passion.

'''Abe and Munch meet'''

'''IGNPS2: What is Lorne Lanning really like?'''

'''Farzad:''' If you like to be average, he's your worst nightmare. If you are in the pursuit of excellence, he's one of the most gifted people I know, but also one of the most down-to-earth, good people I know. On the first day I started work at OW, Lorne, a co-owner of the company, helped me move my furniture into my office. He's just that kind of person.

'''IGNPS2:''' What is the most exciting thing you can tell us about Munch's Oddysee?

'''Farzad:''' Well it's hard to explain because it is a new genre and a whole new way of thinking about a "game" experience. Lorne puts it best when he says that we are "simulating entire life cycles." I think that when you will get the game, plug it in and turn it on, it will be the equivalent of adding water to a bowl of sea monkeys and magically watching something move and come A.L.I.V.E.

'''IGNPS2:''' Who are your biggest influences?

'''Farzad:''' There are far too many great designers and filmmakers that I admire to list, but if I was to pick the single event that made me want to become a designer, it would have to be seeing Star Wars in 1977-I was nine. The visionaries besides George Lucas that made Star Wars possible were Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston, and it was their unique work that set me on my path.

[[Category:Archives]]
[[Category:Interviews]]

Archive:Speaking About An Oddworld...

2017-11-20T23:14:36Z

Manco: Created page

= Description =

== About ==

* Published: 15 February 2000
* Host: IGN
* Interviewer: Oddworld Inhabitants

This interview, from an Oddworld Inhabitants press release, is still hosted by [http://ps2.ign.com/articles/075/075234p1.html IGN].

= The interview =

In a generic PR release, Oddworld Inhabitants delivered four movies and dozens of new screenshots to the press today, in addition to bringing us another interview with co-founder and president of Oddworld Inhabitants, Lorne Lanning. The questions were asked by several press sources, and the answers pre-delivered, but what we get is a deeper look at is Munch himself, and the world in which he will interact.

'''Q: In what ways will you use A.L.I.V.E. technology in Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee?'''

'''Lorne Lanning:''' A.L.I.V.E. is not so much a technology in itself, it's a design philosophy that drives technological development. What this means is that we will be building completely new technologies as we continue to move into the future, but they are all driven with the same goals of making virtual worlds come more to life in the Oddworld way. Munch will be the beginning of the A.L.I.V.E.2 engine, which we plan to build upon for the entire 128-bit era. This engine will offer an exponential increase in life-like simulation compared to what we have had in the past, not to mention the quality of graphics and being completely real time 3D.

'''Q: Munch is an entirely different kind of creature. By what means of movement does he progress? What kinds of cool, strange or weird moves will he be able to perform?'''

'''Lorne:''' With the dual shock controller being packed into the box with the PS2, we can now do things that you couldn't do with a normal controller. Knowing that everyone who buys a PS2 will also have a dual shock, it makes sense to take full design advantage of it with the lead character. But as to how we are taking advantage of it, we're not letting that out yet.

I can tell you that Munch is a Gabbit and that Gabbits are amphibious creatures. He only has one leg, so when he's on land, he hops. Put him in the water, and he swims like a fish. He has a tongue like a frog and has jaws like a gator. He has an interface port implanted into his head, compliments of two surgery-happy Vykkers scientists. He uses this skull port to jack into technology and remotely control robotic devices. Just as Abe possesses living creatures, Munch possesses mechanical devices. He uses his tongue like a flute for GameSpeak, and he's all about rescuing animals from traps, setting them free, then leading them to places where he can nurture them into bigger and better things that he can then use to his greater advantage.

'''Q: What has inspired you to create a strange creature like Munch? What part of the human soul/spirit or what kind of man's habits is he meant to symbolize?'''

'''Lorne:''' Munch's soul is inspired by those tens of millions of laboratory test animals that we throw away as garbage every year. We thought it would be fun to show how things might look from their point of view.

Physically, we wanted a body or a form that was completely different. Something that none of us had ever seen before, yet looked pathetically hip. He had to be stranger looking than Abe, yet still look like something that could actually be alive. It was critical to us that he looks organic.

Emotionally, we needed him to visually embody a tremendous sense of loneliness. It took a long time and literally hundreds of drawings to get the look of Munch. It was an extremely hard design, even though he's so simple. To make it more difficult on ourselves, we needed him to have this sad quality, while also making him funny. This is a difficult task with Munch being a victim under such tragic circumstances. He is the last of his kind, the last of his species and it's not a sugar and spice story, but he had to have a ton of heart and be completely lovable, even though he's ugly.

For us, it's not about muscle bound characters with big guns. It's about little guys. It's about the chumps like you and me who live in an overwhelming and uncaring world. Munch is a character that has to have a large brain to survive. He's not going to be able to solve his problems with his brawn; he's going to need his mobility and his wits.

As for the habits of humans that Munch reflects, Munch is very human as far as his emotions are concerned. His instinct is to look out for "number one" in the face of adversity, but his trials are about developing a greater sense of empathy toward his fellow creatures.

'''Q: It is obvious that the Oddworld games are created with more narrative depth than most other video games. Is there a goal? Are they meant to instruct or at least impart a kind of ethical behavior on gamers?'''

'''Lorne:''' As creators of consumer entertainment, and as people who believe in the power of this medium, we think it's important that we view our content as art form and allow it to have the same level of social/political criticism that more classical forms of art and storytelling are afforded. As with all great stories through history, there should always be more beneath the surface than first meets the eye. Hopefully, there is something about the artist's insight that manifests itself in the work and, as a result, helps to inform or question the beliefs of the viewing participant.

In short, we want to create experiences that are more than just junk food. As a global people we understand that persistence, empathy, cooperation, and using your brain for problem solving are fundamental approaches to getting ahead in life and creating the type of world we all want to live in. So, why shouldn't this theme be part of the video game experience? We believe it should be, so we're taking the time and extra effort to inject these elements as a basic part of our universe.

'''Q: What information can you give us on Munch and his "codependent relationship" with Abe?'''

'''Lorne:''' His co-dependent relationship with Abe is based upon two things. One, Munch needs someone to believe in him. He's like a UFO abductee who returned and no one believes him. Abe will act like he believes Munch's story, even though he doesn't, so long as he can manipulate Munch to help him out and rescue the Mudokon mom. Also, Munch begins the game in a wheelchair until you get him healed, so in the beginning his abilities are fun but limited, and he'll need the help of Abe. Though there is more than meets the eye in each of their motives, the dysfunctional relationship that they share ultimately helps them both become stronger and more compassionate characters.

'''Q: Are you expanding on Game Emotion?'''

'''Lorne:''' Massively. With the additional audio memory that is now available, and the faster disc access, we will be able to hold many more words and animations. Not to mention the advanced AI that will drive all of the Inhabitants. It's our goal to make things look and feel alive. That means they need to react emotionally if a situation suggests that the Inhabitants would be psychologically affected.

'''Q: Any new concepts? Game Evolution perhaps? Or have you incorporated some sort of virtual pet into the mix?'''

'''Lorne:''' All living things on this world will have life cycles. This means they depend on resources to live out their lives. Shortages of these resources manifest in the Inhabitants' abilities and behaviors, as does abundance of these resources. You will be able to breed creatures, nurture them, and condition them by way of your actions and behavior. You will have a great deal of experimentation available to you.

'''Q: You left the high stakes of Hollywood for video games. Do you feel you made the right choice and can express your vision in games? Or do you eventually see yourself going back to film?'''

'''Lorne:''' Since we left Hollywood five years ago, Sherry McKenna and I have never looked back. Video games have given us creative and producing freedoms that simply don't exist in Hollywood. We do see ourselves making films, but we see ourselves doing it right here, our way, with Oddworld. Not in Hollywood. Just like the games, we will build the movies under our own roof and then have them distributed through the best available means. The idea of going back down to Hollywood and having to do lunch with that group of vampiric bozos makes me want to throw up.

'''Q: What kind of experiences or ideas have influenced the story of Oddworld?'''

'''Lorne:''' The Oddworld Quintology is largely influenced by the acts and practices of the corrupt greed and power mongers that have bled the world's people throughout history and continue to do so today. Truth is stranger than fiction, and when you look under the covers at many of today's multinational corporations and their feeding practices you find enough inspirational (and mind-boggling) material for a lifetime. It's also amazing how we find ourselves wound up within large webs of deceit actually supporting causes that we think we oppose. The world is an extremely complicated place. Truth has been largely removed from the front-page or the six o'clock news, and the forces of good and evil are not nearly as clear as they may have been at other times in our world's history.

Oddworld is about finding yourself caught up in an uncaring food chain. Are you just going to be eaten by it or are you going to do something about it? We think that everyone, on some level or another, identifies with what's going on in the world today. We're just trying to inject the dilemma that everyone feels into a package that they can interact with and ultimately overcome. We feel this is what people are looking for, but they haven't been able to find it on the shelf.

'''Q: What do you think about the other games for PlayStation 2 shown at the Tokyo Game Show?'''

'''Lorne:''' I was excited by what I didn't see. It's obvious that Gran Turismo (one of my favorite racing games of all time) and fighting games are going to be great on PS2. But where is the creativity? As much as people are going to buy classic genres on the new system (myself included), people also are extremely hungry for new ideas that are executed well. This is why it's exciting to us, because as long as it's the same ideas being done by the majority, then it allows the minority of unique ideas to shine more brightly and get more visibility.

'''Q: Do you already know if Munch is going to have a bonus game like Abe did? Or will the next official sequel be released on the PlayStation 2 hardware as well?'''

'''Lorne:''' Munch will definitely have a bonus game. There are many bonus games that we want to make with the Oddworld Universe on the 128-bit level. In the meantime, we will learn if the PS2 will be able to run the third part of the Quintology: Oddworld: Squeek's Oddysee. It's possible that the PS2 may not be able to run Squeek. Why? Because the Oddworld Quintology was designed to progress through larger and larger populations of characters. Metaphorically speaking, the Quintology started off with Abe in the diamond mines of South Africa, but he will end up in a massive city of consumerism like New York or Hong Kong.

This means we need greater and greater numbers of characters and buildings in the world for us to do each Oddysee in the Quintology. If we need to wait for new hardware to release the next part of the Quintology, well that will be fine. We have many stories that we will want to tell about dilemmas on Oddworld that will run on the available technology. In the end, Oddworld is ten times the size of earth, and so far we've only been to one small country.

[[Category:Archives]]
[[Category:Interviews]]

Archive:20 Q's With Munch's Oddysee Producer

2017-11-20T23:09:16Z

Manco: Created page

= Description =

== About ==

* Published: 25 October 1999
* Host: GameFan
* Interviewer: Oddworld Inhabitants

This prepared press interview was published by GameFan on 25 October 1999 ([http://web.archive.org/web/20000425025504/www.gamefan.com/hotinfo.asp?s=3314 archived by the Internet Archive]), by IGN as ‘[http://ps2.ign.com/articles/071/071801p1.html Interview with Oddworld Inhabitants]’ on 4 February 2000, and by [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.oddworldian.net/archive/features/001.html Oddworldian] on 19 April 2000 (as previously archived by the Scriptures).

The first paragraph preceding the actual interview is from GameFan, the second is from IGN. The images are taken from IGN’s version.

= The interview =

Along with the press materials regarding their upcoming PlayStation 2 title, Munch's Oddysee, Oddworld Inhabitants included a "Twenty Questions" with the company's President and Creative Director, Lorne Lanning, which reveals the direction their new adventure is heading, what they think of Sony's newest hardware platform, and whether or not we can expect this series to show up on the Dreamcast. While this is a prepared press interview complete with the recommended daily allowance of "PR speak," it does shed some light on this cool-sounding (and cool looking, judging from the Quicktimes we posted today) PlayStation 2 sequel…

'''Q: What can you tell us about Munch's Oddysee? How will the gameplay compare to Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee and Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus?'''

LL: Munch's Oddysee will be more focused on world simulation and the behaviors of characters and eco-systems to achieve much more "living" impressions. We are simulating entire life cycles for all the characters in the world, all the communities, and even the landscape. We are truly going for a "world" simulation approach rather than gauntlet types of puzzles that you saw in our previous games. We are also spending a ton of effort in advanced behavioral simulation, and social chemistry models. GameSpeak will also now allow you to move around and manipulate a large number of characters in order to have them do your bidding and re-shape your landscape. GameSpeak has become more highly evolved and smarter, but simpler to understand and make use of.

'''Q: You've said, "Munch's Oddysee will be in real-time 3D, but it will do it in ways that have not been done yet"; can you elaborate on that?'''

LL: In most realtime 3D games, the two biggest shortcomings that we identified and addressed deal with the camera's systems and the character's sense of truly being aware it is in the world. Many people do not enjoy roving, wild, whip-panning camera activity that comes with over the shoulder on POV. So we will be doing a different twist to the camera logic that aims to fix the orientation and motion sickness problems that result from the status quo of what's going on out there. Our camera system will feel more "cinematic" in its delivery, without compromising play ability. As for characters, we feel the industry is suffering from a "virtual idiot" phenomena. What was very easy for a character to accomplish in a 2D gaming environment has become much more difficult in 3D. The controls and characters don't seem to know where the pick up item is; they can't figure out the doorway is right in front of them without slamming into the wall; they jam up in tight corridors because your controlling efforts are not precise. For example, pick up items used to take one fraction of a second in 2D, but now, in even some of the best examples like Zelda or Mario, a pickup item (or sign to read) takes five times longer and as a result makes the character look stupid. So we've been working on a system that helps the game's inhabitant identify where it is in the environment and also recognizes what items of interest might be nearby. So picking up an item should be as fluid as it used to be in 2D, yet still look totally real and convincing in 3D. The same applies to a character running through a hallway, entering a tight doorway, or anything else that involves having the desire of the game player manifest more easily in controlling the game's inhabitants.

'''Q: What are some examples of other game genres you will be merging for Munch's Oddysee?'''

LL: Munch's Oddysee is a gene splicing of Action, Adventure, Strategy, and emulation, with Hollywood storytelling and production value sprinkled all over it. It is quite difficult to describe this when nothing quite like it has been done before-to see and play will be to believe. As for familiarity of this universe to previous fans, the good news is that this has been planned from the beginning. Meaning, we introduced Abe and Oddworld in 2D while always planning to evolve them into 3D when the technology was there. So it's not like we're developing an after-thought. The creativity and the conceptual qualities are completely in synch with the universe we've developed thus far. In the final analysis, we believe that existing fans will be much happier about the oddness of Oddworld in 3D than they ever could have been in 2D. I can't imagine that anyone will say, "But ya know, I really liked the old 2D games from Oddworld better." I guess we feel that the Playstation2 3D world of Oddworld is far more "Oddworld."

'''Q: What do you think of the PlayStation2 hardware?'''

LL: The PlayStation 2 hardware is extremly exciting, and it even looks cool! Finally it's going to stop looking like a game machine and will now fit in the hi-fi component rack where it belongs. Add DVD movie playing and surround sound and it doesn't get much better. There are still things that we don't know about its tools and development kits, like audio for example, but based upon what we've learned thus far it seems as though Sony is doing things right. We always wish we had more VRAM, and we always wish we had more processing power, and we always wish we had better documentation, but given the year we are living in and what else is available out there, this machine is truly amazing.

'''How would you categorize developing for the PlayStation2 as opposed to developing for the PlayStation?'''

LL: There's no question that to build top contending games you're going to need to spend more money in developing them on the PlayStation2. The biggest thing for us is we've not developed real time tool sets for the PSX, so we're not doing that for the PlayStation2. This is a huge investment and takes time. In some ways this makes things more difficult, but in other ways it gives us an advantage. Why? Because we are not entrenched in a tool system that was designed to work for 32 bit games. We've been able to assess what the right way to build our tools should be for what we want to do on 128 bit, and then progress from there.

'''Q: Besides the obvious bonuses of better graphics and sound, what does the PlayStation2 allow you to do for your games that wasn't possible on the Playstation2 or other consoles?'''

LL: We are now allowed more on-screen characters, more elaborate behaviors that appear to emulate life, larger worlds that have more AI running underneath everything, and also get much more variation of GameSpeak commands and responses. So in short, the PlayStation2 allows one to completely re-think how a game should be built, how it should look, and how it should be played.

'''Q: What do you consider the biggest challenge of developing for the PlayStation2?'''

LL: Unless you're building established genre games, like sports, fighting, or racing, we think the biggest challenge is creative. Knowing what it should be, how it should play, and what makes it unlike anything that people have played before. This is where I think most people will trip. 3D is a conquered mountain and 32 bit proved that lots of people can pull off the technology of 3D relatively quickly. It's the great ideas that are the endangered species in this industry. But make no mistake, programming and art will still be a killer if it's an ambitious game that breaks new ground.

'''Q: What do you think of PlayStation2?'''

LL: A massive breath of fresh air, but also a lifesaver. We're not interested in building games for the sake of just building games. We're interested in evolving games so the world can experience more involving content through interactive devices. PlayStation2 provides us with the ability to evolve games to the next level. Hopefully, this is the level that grabs the attention of the rest of the world and makes them say, "Wow! We never though it would happen, but games are now even more interesting than movies!"

'''Q: Are you going to port to the Dreamcast?'''

LL: We currently have no plans to port or develop for the Dreamcast. Although we recognize that the Dreamcast is the most powerful machine available in the marketplace today (as Lorne laughs his ass off while playing Lulu in Ready 2 Rumble), it is the PlayStation2 that met our base spec for the next Oddworld games. Our spec was very ambitious and Dreamcast didn't quite have the power to run what we currently have on the drawing table. However, we do firmly believe that the Dreamcast will unfold some fabulous new games that will certainly break new ground.

'''Q: Who is Munch, and what is he about?'''

LL: Munch is similar to Abe in that he is an unlikely hero who is also "hanging at the bottom of the food chain and slipping fast." Munch is the last survivor of his species, but he's living in the animal testing department of a pharmaceutical research company. Why? Gabbit lungs made good transplants for Glukkons who had lung cancer. Many Glukkons get lung cancer, so there was a pretty big demand for Gabbit lungs. There was also a huge demand for the very expensive dish known as "Gabbiare" which is made from Gabbit eggs. (They taste great with champagne and crackers.) Thus, Gabbiare also added to the near extinction of the Gabbits. In Munch's Oddysee you will play both Munch and Abe. They have different abilities so you will need to figure out whom is best for achieving your immediate goals.

'''Q: What role will Abe play in Munch's Oddysee?'''

LL: Abe basically kidnaps Munch in the beginning, so Munch really hates Abe for the first half of the experience. But it's Abe's cause that Munch gets caught up in.

'''Q: What will the relationship be between Munch and Abe?'''

LL: Completely dysfunctional. Munch winds up in a wheelchair for a good part of the story, and during that time Abe just pushes Munch around to where Abe wants to go, without concern for how Munch feels about it. So Munch really resents Abe and doesn't hesitate to let him know it.

'''Q: What are the new language treatments you're including in Munch's Oddysee?'''

LL: GameSpeak is expanding greatly, as are the number of characters that you will be able to control in the game. So there are a variety of different languages, as well as some that are more musical.

'''Q: Who are the enemies?'''

LL: Virtuall all of the enemies from our previous games will re-appear in the new 3D world. But they will be greatly evolved from what was experienced on 32 bit. (Bats won't be coming back, as nearly everyone hated them, and we really try to learn from our mistakes.) They will all have life cycle patterns that make them more like real living creatures rather than game enemies. Some of the new ones will be much larger in scale, some will have strange co-dependent relationships, some will be aquatic. You'll also start seeing more herds and the like. The real nasties will be the Vykkers scientists and doctors. These guys are very twisted.

'''Q: What will the environments be like, as compared to previous titles?'''

LL: We want you to be able to truly feel as though you are on large landscapes that feel alive and are critical to sustaining the rest of the life that depends on them. Aesthetically speaking, we want the environments to be in check with what was previously seen from Oddworld's 2D games. Of course we will be creating new environments, but it's all in the same design theme as to what makes Oddworld's landscape unique.

'''Q: How many disks? How long do you expect the game to be?'''

LL: Munch will fit onto one 4.5 Gigabyte DVD. We expect that once people start playing the game, they will find themselves getting interested in sub-goals, sub-plots - going off on their own and just treating the world more like it's a habitat or terrarium full of living creatures. The results will be that people will want to nurture some things or levels for a long time, possibly days, weeks, who knows. It's our goal to let people take their time and have great fun with this living chemistry set that we're providing them, but to also have a storyline that players will want to unfold and care about. If someone wanted to follow the core story as quickly as possible, then it will probably take a good 50 to 60 hours to unfold. However, we estimate that the replay value will be huge. It will be more like visiting Oddworld than playing Oddworld.

'''Q: Are you (Lorne) supplying the voices again?'''

LL: I will be supplying a lot of them, but it's our goal to get more and more people within the studio involved with the voices. I love the way Jim Henson did it on his projects. I must also admit that I really don't like the way some studios take animation and use famous actors' voices. It kills the experience for me. If I see characters, then I want to hear real character voices. I'd much rather listen to Kermit the Frog or Yoda than listen to Sylvester Stallone or Sandra Bullock.

'''Q: Single player only?'''

LL: Yes, Munch will be a single player game. However, we will also be releasing Oddworld: The Hand Of Odd, within the year after Munch's Oddysee is finished. With Hand of Odd, you will get the world chemistry that is available in Munch's Oddysee, but you will be able to play it networked in cooperative or competitive ways. This is something that we are very excited about because it's the first time Oddworld will be networked, and we believe it will be a completely unique experience.

'''Q: When do you expect Munch to be released?'''

LL: It is our goal to release Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee simultaneously with the PlayStation2 in the US and Europe.

[[Category:Archives]]
[[Category:Interviews]]